📄 Archived: 2025-08-06 17:04:50 UTC
🔗 Source: https://old.reddit.com/r/DIYCosmeticProcedures/comments/1g4v3wp/topical_pioglitazone_ah38_for_lost_volume/

# topical pioglitazone + AH38 for lost volume

r/DIYCosmeticProcedures • by u/filthy_weeb_trash • 13 points

this isnt advice to go and make this or anything given theres a whole bunch of unknowns around this particularly relating to PPARy agonist effects on blood vessels as well as cumulative effects of stem cell deprivation on organ and bone tissue, but ive been using a topical formulation of pioglitazone .08% + 5% adifyline solution in a hand sanitizer base on my thighs and upper cheeks the last couple months to gain volume and it looks like its working pretty well. ive gained 14 lbs doing it which seems like a lot and it is for sure, but my body is defintely fuller where ive been applying it. theres a distinct change in shape with more volume in those areas relative to other areas, not enough to completely reshape my face in that period, but enough that im feeling a lot more confident about my face and such. its possible that a substantial portion of the volume is due to water retention in these areas, but im praying that they continue to increase and i see no signs of edema. if thats the case then ive almost certainly created a substantial amount of new fat tissue in my cheeks and on my thighs and hips.

## Comments

u/kazumicortez • 2 points

Now I'm interested, where do you get pioglitazone + AH38 and how do you prepare it?

u/filthy_weeb_trash • 6 points

pioglitazone is easy to get from online pharmacies in tablet form. i use raws but you gotta be more er, willing to dig around for that. might be good to start in anabolics sourcing circles. ah38 can be bought premade as adifyline solution from lotioncrafter, you can use it at 2% rather than 5% if you want it to go further given its only a 30% increase in efficacy from 2% to 5%.

as for how to prepare it, any tablets you buy will need to be crushed in a pestle and mortar designed for pill crushing. the contents of such a pill will almost certainly be the main active, lubricants, preservatives, and cellulose powder, so nothing too concerning but you may find residue from the excipients inevitable. once crushed into the finest powder you can get it, it should be gradually added to propylene glycol @ 20mg/ml (active ingredient/propylene glycol) to form the active solution. you will want a magnetic stirrer for this process, and you may find it difficult or slow to fully incorporate. you will then add this and your adifyline solution to your gel base in the given proportions using geometric dilution for consistent dosing. this will have to be done without the assistance of your magnetic stirrer as it will struggle with high viscosity fluids like polymer and cream bases.

u/Inevitable_Word_9958 • 1 points

I dmed you

u/Impressive_Beat_2626 • 2 points

Thank you for sharing and that’s awesome that you’re noticing those results. I had systemic subcutaneous fat loss (undesired!) as a bad reaction to radiofrequency. I’ve been trying many things to solve this, including pioglitazone. Do you mind if I dm you for some additional questions?

u/filthy_weeb_trash • 2 points

sure

u/Extreme_Falcon9228 • 2 points

Sorry, are you saying you’ve gained 14 lbs just from the solution? Or while using the product, you also have gained 14 lbs as regular weight gain, some of which has accumulated in the areas you’ve applied?

u/filthy_weeb_trash • 1 points

ive gained 14 lbs on it. the first 5 lbs came in the span of a week and was almost certainly largely water weight. on the other hand if you take too much pio you will know about it because your appetite will go through the roof. rn i eat fairly often because ive an active job and even a low dose of pio crashes my blood sugar in 2-4 hours after eating.

u/skanda22 • 1 points

Fascinating and thank you very much for sharing. I’m so happy that this seems to be working for you and I’ve subscribed to your post to see what others have to share. 🙏☺️

u/Slow_Parfait5341 • 1 points

Got any links to some studies on pioglitazone? I've never heard of it.

u/filthy_weeb_trash • 1 points

its a diabetes med with a bunch of other niche applications being explored. if you go digging through pubmed for topical pioglitazone or prompt perplexity it should give you interesting results. not many people actually want to gain fat with it though so, i dont think many people pay much attention to the idea of topical pio for this.

u/jesisphinx • 1 points

Thank you for sharing this

u/JustLocksmith2985 • 1 points

May i ask an update for this? I wanna use on my undereye hollow

u/WEEWEEHELP • 1 points

Update?